Mel P.'s Profile

my mom taught me how to salvage a "broken" mayonnaise:
just restart with a new egg yolk, drizzle in the broken mayo just as if it were oil...

and also 2 very important points: all ingredients should have the same temperature. and a tablespoon of (Dijon) mustard helps a lot - both in terms of taste and emulsion building

my mom would make a stew - with beef, marrow bones, vegetables and all. and place a cut-open onion beside the bed.

and my dad would make a mug of black tea with honey, lemon and whiskey. or hot beer. or for getting back on your feet again: an egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon sugar, mixed into a glass of red wine.

my dad has developed the following method for day-old baguette:
make the crust surface wet by stroking it with wet hands, avoid the parts where the crust is broken. bake for 10 minutes in a 110°C/230°F hot oven

Indispensable. I have 2 digital scales, the large one similar to this one: http://www.amazon.com/Soehnle-66100-Digital-Kitchen-Scale/dp/B000VS22MA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1296647613&sr=8-5
It switches between oz and grams, so no calculating and converting. And with the tara button, I'm never washing up extra bowls, because I simply weigh the stuff in the bowl I'm going to prepare it in. Yes, even in the large Kitchen Aid bowl.
The small scale is exact down to 0.1 grams, which I use for making beauty products, eg hand cream or bubble bath bombs.

Both scales are very slim and easily fit in the cutlery drawer. So they're not even wasting space and are accessible very easily.

Can't say I ever used a measuring device for mixing sugar and cinnamon.

I especially like it on semolina pudding and porridge.
And if you brown some bread crumbs with butter, cinnamon and sugar, you have the traditional Austrian topping for apricot or plum dumplings (Marillenknödel / Zwetschgenknödel).

Luckily, my parents never forced me to clean up my plate and I'm very grateful for that. We were always asked how hungry we were or - when we were old enough - served ourselves. There were always the pots in the middle of the table where you could get a second helping.

The only rule concerned food my brother and I despised (e.g., beef tongue): we had to eat 3 spoonfuls/forkfuls. The lesson was to be grateful for the food

if you have a craving for savory things: Spaghetti Carbonara! You'll need one yolk per person...

http://www.lensandlentils.com/2009/03/carbonara-quick-comfort-food.html

That's the reason I always have leftover egg whites...

homemade for me only - I grew up with it and it's not even hard to do:
http://www.lensandlentils.com/2009/04/mayonnaise-real-thing.html

if it has to be store-bought, then maybe Thomy (Nestlé) with the yellow label. or Hellman's, but it's terribly expensive in Germany. even then, I always add some Dijon mustard.

never, ever miracle whip.

I sometimes use tahini and sometimes I leave it out. And if I want the nutty flavor but don't have tahini, I put in peanut butter.

Also, I top it off with olive oil that has been heated with paprika.
http://www.lensandlentils.com/2009/09/hummus-yet-another-middle-eastern-dip.html

Just read freshUNI's comment and realized I had all ingredients at home. Right at this moment, I'm snacking at parmesan-filled bacon-wrapped dates and they're incredible.

Though, if I had maple syrup, I would have followed lindz828's advice and added that too...